MOLLUSCA INJURIOUS TO FARMERS AND GARDENERS. 209 



heaps of six to fifteen, in the ground and amongst moss. 

 August, September, and October are the chief breeding months. 

 A single snail will lay as many as 500 ova in the season. The 

 eggs take three or four weeks to develope, the young being about 

 one-twelfth of an inch long. Some that I kept reached the adult 

 state in about two months, but they more often take much longer 

 to reach maturity. These slugs live many years. The ova have 

 great resistive powers as regards temperature and drought. 

 Directly cold dry weather comes, they shrivel up and appear 

 spoilt ; but with moisture they are again distended. In this way 

 they may be dried time after time in a stove and yet the ova will 

 retain their vitality. Spring and autumn are the seasons when 

 they appear most numerous. They attack cabbage, rape, wheat, 

 clover, lettuce, turnips, in fact most vegetation. They eat the 

 young turnips off just above the ground. In the winter months 

 this slug may be found in large numbers under stones, decaying 

 logs, and rubbish, in a semi-torpid condition. During the past 

 spring they attacked the wheat in Kent, and did much harm. 



Another very destructive species is L. maximus, Linn., the 

 Black-striped Slug, the largest of its kind and sometimes reaches 

 a length of seven inches. Although not very prolific it does 

 much harm. It is very inactive, and exudes a thick gummy 

 iridescent slime. The ova are deposited in little clusters, agglu- 

 tinated by mucus, during the autumn, and in about four weeks are 

 hatched. The young at once commence to devour the nearest 

 vegetation. This species will live for some years ; one I kept 

 for five years continued to grow all the time. Its shell is some- 

 what rectangular, elongated and convex above, crystalline and 

 glossy, with distinct lines of growth ; boss small near one end ; 

 margin very thin. The body is slender, variable in colour. 

 Some are black ; others yellowish grey and spotted with black 

 and white ; numerous tubercles cover the skin ; tentacles, long and 

 yellowish-brown ; back very much rounded ; foot edged with 

 white. Slime iridescent when dry, white when fresh. 



There are other slugs less destructive in their habits, but the 

 above-mentioned are the most noteworthy pests to the farmer 

 and gardener. 



Methods of destroying Slugs and Snails. — Economically, 

 the most important points in the natural history of slugs and 

 snails are, first, that they chiefly live and flourish in damp 

 places ; drainage, therefore, must have a good effect in lessening 



